I have a stack of NiMH batteries and probably 5 chargers that I can't even find info on by googling anymore. I have a Duracell 15 minute charger that is a battery killer, a Sony that supposedly is "smart" and a couuple 12 - 16 hour chargers. I keep one of the slow chargers at work to keep cordless mice batteries charged, just replace a dead NiMH with an alkaline for the day it takes to recharge. But at home I'd like some sort of smart charger and I don't think anything I have is worth a darn. Anyone have a real world suggestion? Preferably someone who uses rechargables regularly and has personal experience?
I've started to buy the eneloop batteries (thanks to forum members that recommended them) and I'd like a charger that will work for those too.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2008 07:49AM by olnacl.

LaCrosse gets high marks everywhere I've read - BC 900.

[www.amazon.com]

Cary

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Cary
LaCrosse gets high marks everywhere I've read - BC 900.

[www.amazon.com]

Cary

Ditto on that - I got one of these about a year ago and couldn't be happier.
The best feature- it can rejuvenate "dead" batteries, and you get a readout of the actual mAH capacity of each battery after it's recharged.

I purchased a Sanyo eneloop battery and charger kit at COSTCO for $25.99. Includes 8 AA batteries, 4 AAA Ni-MH batteries, an eneloop Ni-MH battery charger and 2 C size adapters and 2 D size adapters. (You slide one eneloop AA battery into each of the adapters to use in lieu of C or D size. Says it takes 10 hours to charge 1-4 AA and 7 hours to charge 1-4 AAA.

I have thissun, [www.mahaenergy.com].

I like it and have been happy with it. It conditions too.

But I gotta say, had I known about the LaCrosse, I'd have bought that ......... cool factor alone.

I believe I got the original rec for the Maha from DPReviews or Steve's digicams.

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!#$@@$#!

proofraed by OwEn the c@t.

I also have an old MAHA charger that I dug out of a closet last night. It has to be 6 - 8 years ago whhen NiMH batteries were just a pup - I bought it and 4 cells for my Nikon Coolpix. Guess it got pushed to the back with all the "new and improved" (not) chargers that I fell for. It even has a conditioning cycle - ran it last night on a couple of the Duracells that I think were killed by the 15 minute charger they came with. We'll see if that does any better than what I have been using and if not, I suppose I could spring for the LaCrosse based on comments above.

If I had a penny for every dumb electronics purchase I made over the past 20 years...

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olnacl
...I suppose I could spring for the LaCrosse based on comments above.

Best price I could find: $36 at Thomas Distributing:
[www.thomasdistributing.com]

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SDGuy

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olnacl
...I suppose I could spring for the LaCrosse based on comments above.

Best price I could find: $36 at Thomas Distributing:
[www.thomasdistributing.com]

Thanks for that, but with shipping, the Amazon deal was better.
I sprung.
Thanks all.

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olnacl
I sprung.
Thanks all.

Congratulations - You'll be happy with it!

one tip - the first thing you should do with all of your batteries is put them through "Refresh Mode", then label them with their actual mAh capacity afterwards. This will be a many days-long process, but it will let you weed out the truly dead batteries, and also let you match similar-capacity batteries with each other when you use them.

Now, if they only made one for 24 batteries .........

Most chargers seem to work only with pairs of batteries - 2, 4, 6............. One of my requirements is for a charger that will charge each individually. Found a discontinued Energizer model at Home Depot for cheap that does up to 8 AA/AAAs or 2 9v or 4 C/Ds. Works great so far!

michael

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mlfrank
Most chargers seem to work only with pairs of batteries - 2, 4, 6............. One of my requirements is for a charger that will charge each individually.

That's what the LaCrosse does - and quite well...

yup Lacrosse. Too bad they don't make one that does C,D and 9V cells as well.

I have a monster Sunpack strobe that uses 4 C batteries.

Is that a better setup than the enloop charger and enloop batteries?

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I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

Amazon just dropped price to $39.99 - call for a price adjustment...

[www.amazon.com]

Cary